A bad crash behind a school bus has officials worried in Blair, and they said the wreck could have been devastating.

A Chevy Silverado pick-up is a mangled mess after being rear-ended by a lumber truck on Highway 30 Wednesday afternoon. The collision caused a chain reaction because the Chevy was stopped in a line of cars behind a school bus.

Deputy Fred Carritt, of the Washington County Sheriff's Department, said the driver of the Chevy is lucky to be alive. The school bus was not hit and all the other drivers and passengers are okay.

Carritt's the school resource officer and he's passionate about school bus safety.

"When drivers see the buses, take your time, slow down, follow what the bus is doing," Carritt advised.

Carritt says he sees too many close calls, including another incident on Highway 30 not long ago.

"(The driver) opened up the door and saw movement out of the corner of his eye, so he pulled the door shut and it kept a little girl from getting hit," Carritt recalled.

Officials are especially concerned because construction has closed Highway 133 outside Blair, leading drivers to take Highway 30. Where Wednesday's crash occurred, traffic is much heavier than normal.

Blair's superintendent Rex Pfiel said the crash should be a warning to all.

"We want our drivers to know that we have students who live in that area," Pfiel said. "We have buses that travel that road, and we want people who travel on that road to really understand those buses have precious cargo on them and to slow down and take their time."

"Generally speaking, when school buses are on the highway, due to the fact they have to make so many stops, vehicles do get piled up behind them and they just need to be alert and pay attention," Carritt added.

Deputies haven't cited the lumber truck driver and are still trying to figure out why he couldn't stop fast enough.

Most of the school buses in Blair have cameras, so they can record any driver who speeds by.